5 tips for a data science resume

With the proliferation of data science jobs in recent years, it has proved to be a lucrative career option for ambitious techies who want to level up their careers in today’s highly thriving data science industry. In fact, according to Linkedin’s 20 fastest-growing jobs in the US Report, the demand for data science engineers have significantly skyrocketed, and so has the availability for data science jobs.

Now is the perfect time to make your mark and reserve your seat in this highly-rewarding profession. While starting a career in Data Science can be quite intimidating with a lot of options to choose from, you can firmly plant your career in this industry with a perfect resume. Making one can be complicated, but it is not mission impossible.

In this article, we have listed 5 steps to help you curate the perfect Data Science resume, so read on and follow the tips given below:

Present your data science skills effectively

A recruiter spends 6 seconds to read a resume and you need to make the best use of this small window to communicate your potential and show your suitability for the data science job that you are targeting.

This 6-second rule may seem like an exaggeration, but it isn’t. So your goal here is to present your capabilities with perfect clarity. The recruiter should be able to absorb a lot of information in less time. Thus, the responsibility to articulate your skill-sets with perfection rests with you.

Your skill-sets, being the most important point of your professional identity needs to be replicated in your resume with the above factor in mind.

If the recruiter is able to identify your skill-sets in one go, you might stand a higher chance of getting shortlisted than a data science professional who fails to do this. All you have to do is pick your data science-centric skill sets and illustrate them under a distinct ‘key skills’ section in your resume.

Since Data Science is a technical profile, you should distinct your core data-science skills from your tech-centric skills such as your tool knowledge, etc.

Example:

As observed from the example, we can see that the key skills are highlighted in a way that can give the recruiters an insight into your potential in the most effective way.

Additionally, the skills that are exclusive to a data scientist such as ‘Data Visualization’, ‘Predictive Modeling & Analysis’, and ‘Data Analysis’  is differentiated from the technical skills which include a data scientist’s knowledge of ‘Statististics/ML’, ‘Packages’, and ‘Big Data Stack’.

Compose an effective summary

Your data science resume is of no use if you are unable to give a proficiency statement at the end. This is where the resume summary comes in.

You need an impeccable resume summary to seal the deal and show that your data science skills matter. That you were able to put it to good use through your effectiveness in solving a real-world industry problem. That you will make an excellent candidate for the data science job.

Curating the perfect summary on resume would make your resume pop like fireworks. It will help you convince a recruiter that you are the perfect candidate for the targeted job profile. If you need help crafting the perfect summary, this is where a good resume builder comes in clutch.

Here’s an example of the perfect summary:

Curate an impactful Professional Experience Section

Your professional experience is one of the most important part & parcel of your data science identity. It is important to highlight the details of your career trajectory in your resume.

You can do this by listing all your previous and current professional work details in your resume in the professional experience section.

However, your job does not end here. You need to ensure that you are able to make the most of this section so that you can communicate your data science proficiency in the most impactful manner.

Here are some tips you can follow:

1. Instead of using bulky paragraphs, use one-liner statements to communicate the details of your roles & responsibilities in data science. Doing this makes this section more reader-friendly, and thereby, increasing the time a recruiter spends on evaluating your resume.
2. Show the visible contribution of your work using achievement figures (numbers) and highlight them by marking them in bold. Doing this helps you accentuate your career highlights and using bolding helps you draw the recruiter’s attention to the quantifiable aspects of your achievements, thereby showing your suitability for the job.

List education & certifications details

A computer science graduate from MIT with a major in Data Science and relevant certification in ML, is more likely to be cherry-picked over a professional who does not give the details of their educational background & certifications held in their resume.

Point is, your resume can make or break your shortlist chances. This is why every element of your resume needs to be on-point.

No one will know that you’re a computer science graduate from MIT with a data science certification if you don’t make it a point to present this important detail in your resume.  This can prove to be bad news for you because no recruiter would take their precious time to explicitly figure out if you fit the bill.

A recruiter sees what you show them in your resume. So the third tip to writing an impeccable data science resume is ensuring that your basic education & certification details feature in your resume.

Here’s an example of what these sections should look like in your data science resume:

Provide your contact information

Let’s say you’re able to impress a recruiter with your resume, providing your contact information details alone will ensure that they’re able to get in touch with you in case you get shortlisted.

In some cases, the recruiters may want to interview you over the phone or need a verbal confirmation from you regarding your availability and time preference for a face-to-face or telephonic interview. For such reasons, you must make sure that you provide the correct phone number and email details.

Taking care of this bare minimum will help you transition to the next phase of your job selection process i.e. the interview round!

Conclusion

Here are some key takeaways for you to remember and follow while framing your Data Science resume:

• Highlight your Data Science skills. Differentiate your core skills from your technical expertise.
• Frame effective professional experience section by using one-liner points for good readability, and presenting your achievements to demonstrate your expertise
• List the details of your education and certifications. Doing this helps you show your theoretical knowledge in the data science domain. i
• Compose the summary of your resume with perfection. It’s the final nail on the coffin and helps you articulate your suitability for the data science job.
• Provide the required contact details. It helps a recruiter get in touch with you in case of potential shortlists.

Have any thoughts on this? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

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